Chapter 1- Senior year
The sun rose, casting golden light across the Scottish landscape. From the highland hills to the clustered buildings of the city, the glow spread east to west until it reached the south side of Glasgow. Streets brightened, birds chirped, and autumn leaves drifted down in a rainbow ofcolour. For a moment, the world seemed at peace.
That mundane atmosphere could have lasted forever. Butin the city, in a home, in a single room, the sublime song of birds wasabruptly interrupted by a blaring alarm. A boy lay asleep, restlessly fightingthe urge to awaken, until at last, he groggily rose from his deep slumber.
After silencing his alarm, he hurried to get ready,realising he was already late. He grabbed his oversized, ill‑fitting blazer andthrew it over his half‑buttoned shirt. With his school bag slung over oneshoulder, he rushed out the door. At five to eight, he darted across roads withlittle regard for his safety. As he approached one of the final crossings, hiseyes caught a familiar face.
Spotting her on the opposite pavement, Jay cupped hishands and called, “Lily!”
The young lady turned to look at him and wavedenthusiastically. She was a short girl, about five foot four, though she oftenwore platform shoes to appear taller. Curvy and pale‑skinned, her cheekscarried a pink flush from the cold. Her blond hair showed dark roots, but itwas her bright blue eyes that stood out most against her fair complexion.
Lily began to speak. Her voice was deeper than mostgirls’, yet it shifted constantly. Tone, volume, and depth all changed,sometimes even in the middle of a single sentence.
“Jay, how are you?” she said, pulling him into a hug.Her grip began weak but playfully tightened as she swayed from side to side,still holding on to him.
“Well, I am quite nervous. It’s a big deal, being inour last year,” Jay admitted.
“You’re starting the year off right,” Lily said,showing him her phone, specifically the creeping time, with a giggle.
Jay’s face flushed red, and without a word he tookLily’s arm, leading her toward a large blue building. At the entrance, groupsof younger pupils loitered, vaping, shouting, and swearing. The seniors pushedpast them and entered the school, where their year group was gathered in thecanteen, all dressed alike in black trousers or skirts, white shirts, and blackblazers marked with a red‑and‑gold insignia.
Jay noticed that Lily was one of the few wearing ajumper. She looked anxious, biting her lip and tilting her head down. Wantingto reassure her, he linked his arm through hers, and together they pushedthrough the crowded room. At last, they reached the other side, where theirfriends were waiting.
Ciara was one of the tallest girls in her year,standing at five foot eight like Jay. With long dusty‑blonde hair, deep blueeyes, and flawless ivory skin, she carried a striking beauty. Slim and straight‑figured,her height left her with little in the way of curves, a feature Jay oftenthought gave her the look of a model.
Then there was Jenny, who shared Ciara’s tall, slimbuild but carried a very different look. Her hair was jet‑black, her eyes apale blue, and her skin held a flawless peach tone.
As Jay and Lily approached, Ciara squealed and threwher hands in the air before leaping into a warm embrace. Jay and Lily hadexpected her enthusiasm, but their bodies still fumbled; with their armsalready linked, they could only return the hug with their free hands.
“Guys!” Ciara shrieked, launching into a stream ofquestions that bounced from summer memories to plans for the year ahead. Jaywas almost certain she would soon drift into hopes and dreams. Just as shepaused for breath, Jenny cut into the conversation.
“It’s nice to see you both again,” Jenny said with apout. “Lily, a jumper, what an interesting start to the year.”Jay glanced at Lily, checking she was alright after the sharp remark. Her lipquivered faintly, subtle enough that most would miss it, but after nearly adecade of friendship, Jay knew she was beginning to crumble. He placed a handon her shoulder, steady and sympathetic.
“Well, I for one think it looks great on you. Wouldn’tyou agree, Jenny?” His eyes locked on hers, as if the two were duellingsilently. They held the stare for what felt like an eternity, neither willingto back down. At last, Jenny’s mouth curved into a smirk before she rejoinedthe conversation.
“Of course, I only meant it wasn’t what I expected. Itis our senior year, after all, most people go all out.”Her posture eased, as though she was masking her earlier stance, yet her eyesstayed guarded.
The four of them were drawn by chanting and cheeringfrom the room beside the hallway, and out of curiosity Jay led them forward ina diamond formation. Pupils collided and barged into them, pulling Lily awayfrom her friends toward the swelling crowd. Ciara caught her from the left andtugged her back toward the centre. Jay, weaving through the shifting mass ofstudents as he had done every day for five years, guided the way. Ciara andLily, arms now linked, followed close behind, while Jenny trailed slightly,shoving aside anyone who came near her.
Finally, they reached two large grey wooden doors, andwith a gentle push the four of them almost stumbled into the room. They hadentered the school’s largest space, the assembly hall, a vast chamber designedfor addressing large groups of pupils at once. The hall was divided into threedistinct sections. The first was the patio entrance where Jay and his friendsnow stood, a narrow area no bigger than the hallway they had just left. A longmounted grey bench lined the wall, occupied by pupils from Jay’s year who werebent over sheets of paper. Looking past the partition wall, the group could seethe second section. This was the main hall, far larger than the patio,stretching all the way to the opposite wall. Normally chairs or desks wouldfill the space, but today four large clusters of pupils stood there, separatedinto the school’s houses. The final section was the stage, built directly intothe far wall. Upon it paced an older white woman with long black hair, dressedin a dark grey pantsuit and high heels. Her sharp, falcon‑like eyes sweptacross the room until they fixed on the four friends lingering at the back.
She spoke with a voice that carried even louder thanthe collective shouting in the hall.“For those of you just joining us, please see your pastoral care teacher foryour house group. They will have your personalised timetable!”It felt almost as though she was reprimanding the four for not already beingpart of the crowd.
Jay and Lily broke away from their friends once more,heading toward their shared teacher. She was young and had only recently takenon the role, and her inexperience left the Valour group far more disorderlythan the others. Off to the side of the sprawling, chaotic crowd, Jay spottedanother friend who looked slightly intimidated by the scene.
Sarah Zamil stood watching the crowd, waiting asthough there were a queuing system in place. Her bronze‑toned hands shiftedrestlessly, sometimes interlocking, sometimes brushing through her pitch‑blackhair. Jay approached until he was close enough to catch the depth of her browneyes, then spoke to her softly.
“How long have you been waiting?” he asked, though hisvoice was almost lost in the roar of the crowd. Sarah mouthed something back,but Jay only frowned, unable to read her lips. She smirked at his confusion andraised her hand, palm open, all five fingers stretched. For a moment Jay stilllooked puzzled, until the meaning finally clicked. “Well, that won’t do.” Heresponded.
Jay walked away from his friends, leaving the two inan awkward silence as they questioned his actions. He moved toward the crowd,pausing for a moment to search for gaps, then began weaving through, slippingpast bodies as pupils shoved and barged against him. The crush of people madehim feel slightly claustrophobic, and under his breath he muttered, “This isridiculous.” At last, he reached the front, just as a girl ahead of him walkedaway clutching her timetable as if it were a treasure map.
“Last name!” the unprepared teacher barked, her wordssharp, her breath bringing the stale scent of coffee, as though Jay were notstanding inches from her. He answered quickly, without a pause or a breath.
“Brady, O’Neil, and Zamil,” Jay said firmly, holdingthe teacher’s gaze. She blinked at him in surprise, clearly taken aback that hewas asking for three names at once. Too tired and overwhelmed to argue, shesimply flipped frantically through the stack of pages, huffing as her breathcaught with the effort, before thrusting the sheets into his hands with anabrupt motion.
Jay broke free from the crowd and walked toward thegirls, flicking through the papers before handing each one to the right person.The trio bent over their schedules, studying them closely, when Jenny and Ciarajoined in, eyes fixed on their own sheets. Sarah glanced at Jay, offered asubtle wave, and slipped quietly away to her class. The others remainedabsorbed in their timetables, too distracted to notice her silent retreat.
Jenny glanced at Jay’s timetable and spoke out.“Aww, what!” she exclaimed, feigning anger.Jay looked at her in alarm, then quickly scanned her timetable while Ciara andLily leaned in curiously.“You and I don’t have any classes together,” he said, answering the unspokenquestion between them.
After a second glance, Jay pointed to a square marked ReligiousEducation.“At least that’s something!” he said with genuine glee.The others, however, reacted differently when he looked at them, Jenny pursedher lips while Ciara and Lily remained stone‑faced.“All sixth‑year students have that at the same time, so it’s not much,” Jennymuttered.Jay shifted his attention to Ciara’s paper, analysing it just as carefully ashe had done with hers.
“Looks like I barely have anything with any of you.This year is going to be painful!” he said, gripping the vein at the side ofhis forehead.“Speaking of which,” he added, shifting the subject as the hall slowly emptied.
“Me and Lily have English, so we should go. We’ll seeyou at break?” The others nodded, and the pair split off from the group. Jayand Lily reluctantly pushed open the heavy wooden doors once more, steppinginto a hallway that now held only a bundle of students. They climbed thestaircase in the main foyer and made their way toward the English department atthe far end of the first corridor.
Their classroom was the last one in the corridor. Asthey entered, they were greeted by a mix of pupils, some from the year below,others from their own. The teacher welcomed them with a smile and guided themto their seats. Fortunately, a desk with two chairs was free, allowing them tosit together. She gave a brief overview of the year ahead and what would beexpected of them. Most of the double period passed with a PowerPointpresentation, until at last the teacher dismissed the class early.
Jay and Lily left the classroom together and headeddown the corridor. The halls were quiet now, only a few students lingering asthey made their way to the cafeteria. Once inside, Jay sat scribbling ideas forthe essay project while Lily idly scrolled through her phone, waiting for thebell to signal break. Suddenly, a hand gripped their shoulders, making themjolt upright and whip around in shock.
“Hey guys!” Ciara’s joyful greeting sharply contrastedwith the fear she had just sparked in the pair. Without acknowledging theirstartled expressions, she dropped her bag onto the table and slid into a seat.“So, good news, we all got picked for the excursion programme!” Jay and Lilyexchanged a look of uncertainty, struggling to recall the name. Jay opened hismouth to speak, but Ciara cut him off.“The three of us signed up before summer. We get a week off school and anaward.” The two previously terrified friends gasped in unison as the memory ofthe programme finally clicked.
The trio spoke with great anticipation about the eventuntil Jenny arrived and shifted the conversation. The year had barely begun,yet she was already grumbling about the students in her classes. Break lastedonly fifteen minutes, vanishing almost as soon as it began.When the bell clanged, Jay headed to his next class alone. As he steppedinside, he at once recognised a familiar face, a peer from his previous years.
“Paige, hey.” Jay walked up and waited for her togesture toward the empty chair. As Paige pulled it out, he spoke again.“I didn’t think you’d take Home Economics.”
“It was an easy A,” the fair‑skinned, black‑hairedgirl replied with a chuckle. The class itself felt much like Jay’s first one,with the teacher outlining expectations and the plan for the year. Before long,the bell rang again. Jay and Paige made their way through the corridors andinto the assembly hall, where their entire year group had gathered. Spottinghis friends, Jay quickly joined them, waving goodbye to Paige as she hurriedoff to her own posse.
The large hall had been transformed since their lastvisit, with tables and chairs scattered across the floor. Instinctively, thefour friends sat together in the back left corner. A tall and round blondewoman in a blouse stepped onto the stage in front of a projection screen. Shebegan outlining an award available to seniors who completed hours ofvolunteering and reflected on religious views. Most students groaned or rolledtheir eyes, until she added that it would strengthen higher‑educationapplications and replace the usual religious education classes.
The incentives worked, and Jay’s group, along withmost of the year, chose to sign up. After the sign‑ups, the teacher dismissedthem for an early lunch. The group headed to the shopping centre for fast food.Once they had eaten, the girls went to the bathroom while Jay waited outside.As he stood there, a large group of boys from their year approached, hurlingharassing remarks and laughing as they talked over him. Surrounded, Jay feltthe weight of their presence until his friends re‑appeared. Jenny strode ahead,shouting at the boys to ‘leave her friend alone’ and to ‘get a life.’ The boysscoffed, insisting ‘it’s just a joke’ and that the group was ‘no fun.’ Even so,they eventually dispersed.
Jenny turned back to see Jay being comforted by theothers, though he quickly shook them off. “I’m fine, I’m fine. I just thoughtthis year would be different.”He drew a steadying breath before leading the group back toward school aslunchtime came to an end. Once inside, they split off: Lily had no class, whileJenny and Ciara’s lessons were on the far side of the building. Jay continuedalone, heading to his next class for a double period.
As Jay reached the classroom, he was met by the sameboys who had harassed him earlier. Without a word, he turned away and headedfor the pastoral office. Instead of finding his usual pastoral teacher, he cameface to face with the head of year. She greeted him with a smile that was warmyet carried an edge of intimidation.
“What can I do for you, Jay?” Her tone carried aweight that almost made him flinch. Jay hesitated, then steadied himself andmet the head of year’s gaze.
“I need to drop my design and technology class,” Jaysaid. The teacher stared at him, as though expecting more.
“I just don’t have the time between extracurricularsand the subjects I’m actually interested in.”She slipped on her glasses and began typing without looking at him.
“Fine. Is there anything else?” Jay was stunned by herquick agreement. Shaking his head, he left the office and wandered anxiouslytoward the front doors, where the older receptionist fixed him with a deathstare.
After a short walk home, he stepped inside to find hismum rushing to get ready for work. With only a quick “goodbye,” she slammed thedoor behind her, leaving Jay alone in the house.
His mother hadforgotten to top up the electricity, leaving Jay with little to do once hishomework was finished. He remembered a book stored in one of the boxes atop herwardrobe. Stretching recklessly, he managed to pull down the one he needed andturned to leave before making a mess. As he pivoted, his eyes fell on a spiderthe size of a tennis ball. Shocked, he stumbled back against the wardrobe,knocking another box loose. It crashed to the floor with a sharp smash.
